I started the 2024 season already last fall (11/10/2023) when I sowed tomatoes for my deep cold frame. For this year, I decided to plant only parthenocarpic plants bred by Dr. Baggett in the deep frame mainly because they are able to produce fruit even without pollination: Gold Nugget, Oregon eleven, Oregon spring, Oroma, Santiam and Siletz.

Since the days were very short at that time (approx. 8 hours), I sometimes illuminated the seedlings for 4 hours with a 27 W LED bulb. I had to stop doing that around Christmas. I was afraid that such large seedlings would not fit in my frame under the glass. I planted reasonably large seedlings in the garden, only with the Oroma variety I had more work because the seedlings were quite tall. I put seedlings in the garden on March 22.

Despite the unfavorable weather, the tomatoes in the frame grew well and began to bloom already at the end of April.

At the end of May, all the plants bloomed profusely and had already planted fruits of various sizes.

I harvested the first ripe fruits this week. They were fruits of the Oroma and Gold Nugget varieties. But Gold Nugget it certainly isn't, because its color isn't golden yellow by any chance.


At home, I discovered that I had a mistake in the layout plan for parthenocarpic tomatoes, because I had five GN plants drawn there and I only sowed four seeds. I still don't know which variety of the six it is. The fruits are not yet 100% ripe, I let them ripen at home. Then I will look for which fruits are seedless and which have seeds. Only then will I know if some fruits really formed in unfavorable conditions without pollination.
Vladimír

Happy to hear that the parthenocarpic tomatoes produced those early fruit for you.

I couldn't stand it and already yesterday I cut up all the tomatoes. I wasn't too surprised either that there were no seeds in any of them. Other varieties would probably not have any tomatoes because they need conditions suitable for pollination. Of course I tasted the tomatoes, the taste was distinctly tomato and balanced in terms of acidity and sweetness.
Vladimír

Oroma is supposed to be a long paste-shape (red; not dark red). I've grown it a number of times and it always had a paste shape (every fruit, too), except the only oddity in shape was that some fruits were shaped like a wasp's abdomen. In my climate, it seems to prefer shade to full sun. It's fairly early, for a paste. It doesn't produce as much as Roma and Roma VF for me, though.

I haven't tried Saucy, though, which is another parthenocarpic variety, related to Oroma.

Gold Nugget was a yellow cherry for me.

Shule wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 4:14 am Oroma is supposed to be a long paste-shape (red; not dark red). I've grown it a number of times and it always had a paste shape (every fruit, too), except the only oddity in shape was that some fruits were shaped like a wasp's abdomen. In my climate, it seems to prefer shade to full sun. It's fairly early, for a paste. It doesn't produce as much as Roma and Roma VF for me, though.

I haven't tried Saucy, though, which is another parthenocarpic variety, related to Oroma.

I can't say anything more about it. Maybe it is because it is soon without pollination. I have original seeds from Victory seeds.
Vladimír

For the last week of June, I have prepared a vacation in the style in which we have been traveling for the past 45 years - hiking with visits to Czech castles and chateaux. It was supposed to be the last such vacation. We left on Tuesday 25.6., we saw Šternberk Castle and Čechy pod Kosířem Castle. On Thursday (the third day of the holiday) we went to the Plumlov castle and after the tour, when we were going down a fairly steep path over stones, my trekking poles slipped under me and I fell. An ambulance took me to traumatology, where they stitched up my eyebrow laceration and did an X-ray of my ribs and a CT scan of my head. The fact that it damaged both my knees was not addressed there, I am waiting for their surgery. It really was the last such vacation. Now after a fortnight I am walking with one crutch and I got to the garden for the first time yesterday when my daughter took me there. On that occasion, the son-in-law mowed the entire garden of approx. 1,100 m2, the granddaughter picked raspberries, currants and sour cherries, I planted iceberg lettuce seedlings and together with my daughter we plucked tomatoes in the two cold frames. With the view that I might not get to the garden until a week from now, we plucked everything that had color (red, pink and gold) with the understanding that we would let it ripen at home. I'm going to the doctor on Monday to have the stitches removed and I'm probably seeing an orthopedist.
Now to the topic of this thread. I took some photos of all the harvested varieties. I am attaching photos of two varieties, Gold Nuget and Oroma. I made sections of several tomatoes of these varieties and it turned out that only 5% of the fruits are seedless. I guess the conditions weren't so bad in May and the nights weren't so cold. Of course I also tasted the fruits and compared. In particular, I found the seedless Oroma fruit much tastier than the seeded ones. If I had to specify it somehow, the pulp was so soft with a buttery texture. Too bad I didn't have more seedless ones.
Vladimír

MrBig46 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 06, 2024 11:27 am

Shule wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 4:14 am Oroma is supposed to be a long paste-shape (red; not dark red). I've grown it a number of times and it always had a paste shape (every fruit, too), except the only oddity in shape was that some fruits were shaped like a wasp's abdomen. In my climate, it seems to prefer shade to full sun. It's fairly early, for a paste. It doesn't produce as much as Roma and Roma VF for me, though.

I haven't tried Saucy, though, which is another parthenocarpic variety, related to Oroma.

I can't say anything more about it. Maybe it is because it is soon without pollination. I have original seeds from Victory seeds.
Vladimír

That's where I got mine, too. I got mine a number of years ago, though.

@MrBig46 I wish you a speedy and successful recovery. And I hope you can get back to your garden quickly.

May your recovery go well, smoothly and quickly for you @MrBig46

I'm so sorry that your trip was cut short and that you have had to endure more pain. Hopefully when you see the doctors they will be able to give you some relief soon and help you with your knees.

Wow, you had such a nice vacation until you didn't. Having had both knees replaced over time I can sympathize with you about your knee pain and how frustrating it is to not be able to do stuff in the garden. It sounds like you have some help with that so that will help a bit. Wishing you a fast recovery!

It seems to me that the knees are returning to their pre-injury state. I have been waiting for surgery on my left knee since November 2022 and I am scheduled for April 2025. Since I started having major problems with my right knee, I tried to hasten its operation. For an additional fee of CZK 35,000 in a private clinic (separate room, etc.), I received an appointment for right knee surgery in October of this year (already three months from now). It seems to me that it would solve my knees problems during the year. That Friday, my daughter and I harvested other parthenocarpic varieties (Siletz, Oregon Spring, Oroma and Santiam). They are still awaiting evaluation. We also harvested early determinant varieties from the second (low frame). The daughter took half of all the tomatoes (mainly the bigger ones).
Vladimír




and klasik determinante:

img image hosting



PS.: If I can evaluate determinant tomatoes according to earlyness, the best is Vspyschka and Sarayev Shtambovyi. Both are the only varieties that bloom after the seventh leaf.

So sorry about your fall, but glad to hear you're on the mend, and seeing plenty of tomatoes coming in.

I seem to recall the same as you mentioned, that the seedless fruit from Siletz were the best on the bush, with a silky texture and lots of juice.

Surprise named Santiam: Yesterday I cut all the tomatoes (9 pcs) of the parthenocarpic variety Santiam. Of these, five were seedless, perfectly ripe. I assume they were fruits from unpollinated flowers that opened in unsuitable (cold) conditions. The other four already had seeds, while the fruits were not yet so ripe (from flowers pollinated when pollination conditions improved). I tasted both, the seedless ones were very tasty to me, the ones with the seeds were still a bit sour (unripe). I put the samples from both groups in the freezer for 24 hours and then measure their pH and Brix. Of course, for tomatoes with seeds, the values ​​will not correspond to really ripe fruit, but I will be able to repeat these measurements later for the ripened fruit. I probably won't have any more seedless fruits because the weather is already stable with summer temperatures.
Vladimír

Hope you enjoy a full recovery from your fall. Hate to say it but we ain't as young as we used to be. Enjoy your garden !

Vladimir,
I just now read about your fall on the hike. I am sorry to read about your terrible luck. I hope things turn around for you soon, that you can get those knees fixed and get on the trails again at some point in the future. I am glad you have the daughter and youngsters to help a bit at the garden.

Hang in there.

Amazing! You have some real beauties there.

Vladimír